WALL STREET HIGHS: The Dow rose above 21,000 points for the first time on Wednesday in what was the biggest gain for the blue-chip index so far this year.

The Dow crossed the 19,000, 20,000 and now 21,000 thresholds since 2016's Election Day, and if it finishes the trading day Wednesday above 21,000, it will signify a tie for the fastest thousand-point increase in its history.

The Nasdaq jumped 16.59 (+0.28 percent) to close at 5,861.90, while the S&P 500 finished at 2,369.73, up 2.39 (+0.10 percent) from its open.

USA stocks powered to fresh records on Wednesday (March 1), with the Dow topping 21,000 for the first time, after President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory note in a major address Tuesday night. President Trump's pledge for $1 trillion on infrastructural spending and massive tax relief for the middle class strengthened optimism in the USA economy. The promises have helped send USA stock benchmarks to records, but Trump offered little by way of detail.

JPMorgan Chase rose 2.6 percent and Goldman Sachs rose 2.1 percent, the biggest increases in the Dow. The S&P 500 also rose 0.1% to close at 2,369.73.

But some in the market still warned not to read too much into Mr Trump's speech and to remain cautious of abrupt policy announcements and fresh uncertainty that could rock markets. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1 percent at 5,704.80.

The South Korean market is closed for a public holiday.

Several energy companies fell along with the price of natural gas.

On Tuesday, New York Fed President William Dudley said the case for tightening monetary policy had become "a lot more compelling", according to Reuters.

Benchmark U.S. crude veered lower after heading higher earlier in the day.

Crude oil prices were flat at about $54 a barrel. The S&P is up about 10.5 percent since the November 8 election. Brent crude, which is used to price global oils, was down 16 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $56.35 a barrel in London.

The dollar was up 0.46% against the pound to 1.238 and 0.1% versus the euro to 1.0576 and was 0.1% stronger against the yen at 112.83.

The suspect then opened fire at the trooper and deputies before he was fatally shot, the Florida Highway Patrol said . A man died in a shootout with deputies from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and Florida State Troopers on Sunday.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off from a NASA launchpad that was once used by Apollo astronauts. It was the first SpaceX launch from Florida since a Falcon 9 exploded on a launch pad on September 1, 2016.

The source also remarks Netflix handling the film instead of Paramount ensures Scorsese "can make the project he wants". Now, however, seven years after the film was announced, The Irishman has found a worldwide buyer in Netflix .

Bao Bao, who now weighs around 200lbs (90kg), has been a central attraction at the national zoo since her birth in August 2013. She'll be in quarrantine for approximately 30 days at the China Conservation and Research Center Dujiangyan Panda Base .

The storms are moving in from the west, this evening, some of which will be capable of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. Along with tornadoes, damaging winds in excess of 60 miles per hour will be a threat, along with large hail and heavy rain.

The Jewish Community Center in Albuquerque was evacuated Monday morning after it received a bomb threat via telephone. The facility was last evacuated January 31, following a "non-credible" threat, and then reopened later the same day.

Private family services for Libby were held at Delphi United Methodist Church on Sunday, Feb. 19 starting at 2 p.m. On Saturday, a large crowd filled Delphi Community High School for a memorial honoring the two girls.

Townsend said the U.S.is still talking to Turkey about whether and how Turkish forces might be involved in an assault on Raqqa. He referred to the Syrian forces to disclose the number and extent of the casualties.

Fox News's "The O'Reilly Factor" this week featured a guest with inaccurate credentials, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The network said O'Reilly was expected to address the subject further on Monday's show.

The weather was rough enough to force the cancellation of one of two scheduled "Not My Presidents Day" rallies in San Francisco. Pennington County Republicans rallied directly across the street from those opposing President Donald Trump.

Takata Pleads Guilty Over Defective Airbag Charges
The plaintiffs' lawyers alleged Nissan, for instance, switched to Takata air-bag inflaters to save $4 on each device. If exposed to sustained high temperatures and humidity, the chemical can deteriorate and burn too quickly.

Anti-Netanyahu protesters march through Sydney
These are the words that come to mind when I think of my life as a Palestinian. "But then you're just not going to have a deal". He also visited the Moriah College Jewish day school in Sydney, where he sat in on a Hebrew class and spoke to the students.

74 dead migrants washed ashore in Libya
A spokesman for the aid organisation said there were still bodies floating out at sea as the agency had no way of retrieving them. The EU itself describes Libya as "unsafe" and systematic violence towards refugees and migrants has been widely documented.